Something New
by scarlettepione
Summary: Restaurant AU, pairing Eponine and Enjolras, rated M for later chapters, this is my first story
1. Chapter 1

"You know what I hate about customers?"

Enjolras didn't even bother to turn to face her. He took a long drag of his cigarette and let the smoke slowly pour out of his mouth. Eponine wasn't sure if she should follow up her statement or wait for him to respond.

"What?"

"They always complain about the price of the meal"

The moment the words left her mouth she regretted saying anything in the first place. He sounded tired and she was certain he didn't want to talk to her.

"I mean no one is putting a gun to your head and forcing you to eat here" she laughed uneasily. What a painfully-awkward follow-up.

He let out a soft chuckle. He turned to her and the barest hint of a smile ghosted his lips. Eponine felt her heart flutter.

"I wish I was still young and full of life like you" he said.

"You talk like an old man" she challenged.

He scoffed, "Twenty-seven is a lot older than nineteen"

She opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out and he just tossed his cigarette on the ground and crushed it beneath the rubber toe of his sneaker. He looked up at her and stared with such an intensity she almost started to blush. In this moment she wished more than anything that he would say something to even hint that he saw her as anything more than a pathetic puppy dog. In the past few months Eponine had become infatuated with him. She painfully overthought every encounter, every look, every touch. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen, with his sharp jawline, blonde ringlets, and cerulean eyes that conveyed more passion than anyone else in this stupid restaurant combined. Whenever any political or social justice issue was brought up he could work himself into a fiery rage and rant for hours. He wasn't the type to always have something witty to say (no that was Courfeyrac and Grantaire), but she had a feeling he was the most honest person she had ever met. Eponine was in love.

Enjolras sighed and walked back into the restaurant. It would be another few minutes before her bus arrived but he didn't come outside to keep her company. Just a cigarette break.


	2. Chapter 2

After the family hotel business went to ruins when Eponine was seven, her dad overdosed, leaving her mother with three children and a mountain of debt. Since then Mama Thernadier worked double shifts at the local diner just to keep Eponine, Azelma, and Gavroche off the streets.

' _God bless Zel'_ Eponine thought as she arrived home just after midnight. Since her mom and older sister work late nights, Azelma shoulders the task of making dinner, always making sure there's enough left over for when they come home. Tonight Eponine was greeted by a cold bowl of pasta with pesto sauce, just how she likes it.

This is how it's always been. Eponine raised Azelma and Gavroche and ran the household while her mom worked, and when she turned fourteen she started to work too. She had to. They needed the money.

Once Eponine became busy with her various jobs, Zel took over as head of the house. They always joked that poor Gav was cursed with three mothers and no dad. That, of course, was the only time they mentioned Dad.

Azelma was seventeen now and set to start cosmetology school in the fall. She always wanted to be a hairdresser and the community college offered a cheap program. Mama however was hesitant to let Azelma go after Eponine dropped out of college in the first semester.

Eponine thought of that as she laid down to sleep that night. She always told herself that she'll go back to nursing school when they're more financially stable, but she doubted they ever would be. She felt like a failure as a role model for her siblings and as a provider. She never spoke of these feelings, not with Azelma or Marius, not even with Montparnasse. In fact the only person she ever talked about it with was Enjolras.

It was five months ago, on on a Wednesday night in January. Their manager Jean let them close up early because the night had been slow. Eponine's bus wouldn't come for another two hours so Enjolras offered to drive her.

The first thing she noticed was that he had a really nice car. A relatively new one too. He noticed her eyeing the car and he explained it was a gift from his grandfather.

"Some gift" Eponine mumbled under her breath

It occurred to her that Enjolras was wealthier than he let on. Eponine began to grow apprehensive about Enjolras seeing her house and her neighbourhood. Even if he didn't intend to, he would judge her, or worse try to "save" her.

But that wasn't the case. The conversation fell into an easy, fast-paced banter about a coworker. The half hour car ride passed quickly and Eponine wanted nothing more than to just ride around with him all night.

But, as Eponine predicted, when they arrived he took one incredulous look at her duplex and the crappy neighbourhood and his mouth settled into a fine line. He didn't say anything but she knew what he was thinking. Rich people are so damn predictable.

"Yup, this is me"

"How do you like it here?"

The question caught her off-guard and she wasn't sure how to respond. Does she tell him what she really feels, or does she just brush him off like she would with anyone else?

"I know it's not the best, but it's much better than some places. This is downright luxurious compared to the village my mom grew up in the Philippines" She said carefully. He contemplated this statement before spouting some facts about the Philippines. In that way they fell back into easy conversation. Eponine is usually very private, but she ended up sharing more than usual, little anecdotes about all the jobs she worked at and descriptions of her siblings.

Enjolras was actually a pretty good listener and he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. She began to tell him more personal stuff. She told him about working nights instead of concentrating on her studies and growing up at such a young age. Finally she told him about how she gave up her dream of becoming a nurse because she couldn't handle the stress of college.

"You're not a failure for that. Your feelings are completely normal and understandable for someone under so much pressure" He told her this with such a sincere tone she was taken aback. No one had ever really spoken to her like that. Maybe the world wasn't as lonely as she previously thought.

When she got out of the car she turned back to thank him for the ride. He shrugged her off and instead told her:

"I hope you get the opportunity to restart college under better circumstances"

That was the night Eponine officially fell in love with Enjolras.


End file.
